In my World Studies class, I was assigned a group to do a “Theater of War” project where we performed a readers theater script that we put together ourselves about World War 1, 2, and the Interwar periods. I think that we totally rocked our performance and we did great with the content that we used in our script, but I do believe that we could have been better at collaboration. So, I’m going to give you a few tips and tricks so that the next time you’re on a team, you will have the tools necessary to create the perfect team who will all contribute to your discussions and give you their full attention in group meetings.

You get to know your teammates in the beginning of the project.

I know it’s kind of weird to get assigned new partners and then become best friends, but bear with me here. When I first was assigned my group, we all sat awkwardly at our tables looking at some electronic device instead of trying to start a conversation. I’ll admit, I’m guilty of only talking to the people that I knew on my team and trying to get over the disappointment of being in a group with people that I didn’t like. But when starting a new team where everyone is at the same table, it’s good to talk to your team for a bit. Maybe ask them a How’s your day? Or maybe a What do you think your strong suits are when you work with other people? It helps you measure what kind of person they are so that you know if you need to remind them to do work or if you can trust them to be on top of it.

Make it clear when a team meeting is and don't be afraid to call them out.

When you start out with a team that only has about half of the people on it contributing to discussions, calling a team meeting is a good idea to keep your team from drowning under all the dead weight of your apathetic teammates. Make sure that if someone isn’t contributing well, don’t be afraid to talk to them about it and call them out. But always remember that when you do call a team meeting, never call it thinking that only 2 people are going to contribute to the discussion. If you're calling a team meeting, or any meeting for that matter you have to make sure everyone is listening, even those apathetic teammates of yours. When it comes to contribution and your teammates don't care, the only way you can make them care is to show them what will happen if they don't. If they are apathetic, make them sympathetic or even empathetic to you for how you feel having to carry around the dead weight of your teammates. If you’re shy this might be a big step for you but it is necessary if you want to stay sane through your project.

Set boundaries. If you notice a pattern happening that you dont like, dont be afraid to call it out.

This is a good time to check in with yourself about what ticks you off. You may not know that people talking while you’re speaking is a pet-peeve of yours until you have already yelled at all of your teammates because you were so mad. It’s good to watch yourself just as much as you watch them to see how their behavior sets you off. When you notice a teammate missing the deadline or making small talk during class, don’t be afraid to tell them that it's not ok. And this goes for your whole team. If you don't like that one minute you're talking to everyone during a team meeting and then the next you're talking to an empty chair minus 6 of your teammates, maybe you should make a rule that your team members can't leave while a team meeting is in session. Setting boundaries is extremely important because if neither you nor the people that you are working with know what ticks you off, a bomb is bound to explode, and it’s going to be everyone's fault.

When it's crunch time and you need to finish your product, call a group meeting just to make sure everyone is on the same page.

I’ve noticed that toward the end of every project everyone goes into panic mode trying to come up with a product. When everyone on your team is stressed, a lot of things can get miscommunicated and that causes even more panic towards everyone on your team. During these times, my motto is Slow breathing and a team meeting cures all crunch-time panic. I swear by it! When you call a team meeting just to touch basis with your team on what needs to be done, it makes everyone feel much better, especially the people who have no idea what to do but just want to help. I will say the toughest thing about this step is when you are completely in panic mode trying to get everything done fast as possible, it’s really hard to slow down or even notice that you are in panic mode about to fight everyone around you. Alot of times you just want to stay in denial or say that you don't have enough time because it’s too much to actually stop and think. But after you stop, check in with your team, and breathe… you find out that even in the eye of the hurricane, one can find peace.

If you follow all of these steps to creating the perfect team, you will end up with a fantastic collaborative outcome that will put a smile on your face, your teams face, and most importantly, your teacher's face. Good luck! And don’t forget;Slow breathing and a team meeting cures all crunch-time panic!